Morning came faster than Gabriel expected.
He woke up slowly, blinking against the shafts of light slipping through the uneven gaps in the shack's roof. There was no alarm. No buzzing phone. No 8 AM responsibility guilt. Just warmth, soft wind, and–
Wait. Something smelled... good?
He blinked again.
For a full five seconds, his brain lagged.
Then it clicked.
Oh right. I died. Reincarnated into a hell biome. Summoned a tiny war goddess.
He sat up groggily, stretched, and rubbed at his eyes. It was way too peaceful.
"Astra?"
Silence.
Panic briefly fluttered through his chest, but as he stepped outside, it vanished.
Astra was nearby—sitting on a smooth stone at the edge of a makeshift campfire. A crude pot was suspended above it, steam rising gently as she stirred with calm, practiced motion. The faint crackle of fire mixed with birdsong.
She looked exactly how she had last night–white hair, quiet eyes, composed posture. Unmoving, like a painting of patience.
Gabriel relaxed... until he noticed something farther out in the tall grass.
Lumps.
"What the hell…"
He squinted. A line of dead monsters lay scattered along the treeline, some still smoking.
Big ones. Sharp ones. Definitely not bunnies.
He stepped closer to Astra, keeping one eye on the corpses.
"Astra, what happened?"
She didn't look up.
"My detection skill triggered during the night," she said calmly. "Several hostile entities approached the shack. My extinction protocol activated. I engaged and eliminated them. You remained asleep."
He blinked at her.
"You… killed all of them. Alone. While I was drooling on my arm."
"Yes, my Lord."
"Did you get hit? Are you injured?"
"No."
She stirred the soup once more, not breaking rhythm.
Gabriel stared at her, then looked out at the dead monsters again.
She protected me the whole night without waking me up once. I'm out here doing my best impression of a deadbeat raccoon and she's out here acting like a bodyguard NPC with perfect loyalty coding.
She's so kind I could cry.
I am officially the world's most useless master.
He shuffled closer to the fire and crouched near the pot.
"What are you making?"
Astra replied, "Soup."
He gave her a look.
"Yes, thank you. But soup made from what?"
"One of the slain monsters. Its flesh is safe to consume. I verified its species prior to extraction. I also found jungle herbs with minor restorative properties."
"Right. Of course you did."
The aroma was surprisingly good–earthy, slightly spicy, with a hint of smoke and something nutty. His stomach growled audibly.
He pointed at the pot like a man bargaining for life.
"Astra. Please. Give me food before I lick this rock."
Without hesitation, she poured a bowl and handed it to him. He sat on a nearby stone and took a cautious sip.
His eyebrows lifted.
"This is… actually amazing."
Astra nodded. "I am proficient in basic field cooking."
"No, like seriously. This tastes better than 90% of the ramen I've eaten in the last year. What monster was this again?"
"A jungle variant of the shadow cougar."
"Awesome. I'm eating evil cat stew."
He took another bite and exhaled.
"God. This is the best meal I've had since college."
They ate in silence for a while. Not awkward silence. Just quiet, peaceful stillness. The kind you didn't notice until it was gone.
Gabriel stole glances at Astra between bites.
She didn't eat. She just watched the fire, listening to the wind, motionless.
"You don't eat?"
"I do not require sustenance unless in combat recovery mode."
"Right. Of course you don't."
She looked at him. "Would you prefer that I simulate eating for social comfort?"
Gabriel blinked.
"No! No, you don't have to fake anything. Just… do whatever feels normal for you."
"I do not possess a normal."
"…Cool. Same."
After finishing the soup, Gabriel stood up and stretched. His joints popped.
Okay. Time to be useful. Time to… I don't know, Collect the corpses?
He walked over to the nearest monster body. It was massive, with matted black fur and spiked limbs. Looked like a mutated jungle wolf crossed with a blender.
He hesitated, then poked it.
The body shimmered and vanished in a swirl of light.
[You have obtained: Raw Hide x2, Mana Crystal x1, Beast Bone x1, Meat x3]
He grinned.
Let's gooo.
He opened his inventory. The items were real. Materials, just like the game. It felt… safe. Familiar. His heart rate actually slowed a little.
Okay. I can work with this. I know how this part goes.
He turned back toward camp and yelled:
"Astra! I'm gonna loot all these bodies before they despawn!"
She glanced at him, impassive. "Be cautious, my Lord."
"I'm fine!" he said, already jogging to the next corpse. "What's the worst that can happen?"
She didn't respond right away.
Then, quietly: "Many things."
For the next twenty minutes, Gabriel scavenged like a man on a mission.
One by one, the bodies vanished with soft flashes of light. Each gave more materials: bones, meat, hides, crystals. Some rarer than others.
He was grinning now, muttering like a kid on Christmas:
"Yes–mana crystal, nice. Ohh, rare tooth drop, let's gooo…"
He looked up and caught sight of another corpse farther out. He sprinted.
"Dibs!"
Astra, watching from beside the fire, tilted her head.
She studied his movements, noting how he leaned forward too much–unbalanced. His steps were fast but clumsy. His breathing was slightly ragged, not from exhaustion, but adrenaline.
He was smiling, but it wasn't joy.
It was… hunger.
Not for food. For control. For purpose.
She didn't know why, but it made her fingers twitch slightly.
When Gabriel finally paused for breath, he wiped sweat from his forehead and turned to her.
"You seeing this haul? I'm rich. I'm gonna build, like, five helmets out of bone."
He laughed.
Astra didn't laugh.
She stepped forward. "Would you like me to assist in further collection?"
"No, no – it's fine," he waved her off. "I'm on a roll. You've done more than enough. Like, you murdered a dozen nightmare beasts and made soup. That's already S-tier waifu material."
She blinked. "I do not know what that means."
He paused.
"…Never mind."
Astra hesitated. "Please remain cautious, my Lord. Some beasts travel in pairs. The ones I dispatched last night may not have been alone."
He froze. "Wait. There could be more?"
"I do not detect any movement currently. But my range is limited."
He scratched the back of his head.
So I'm maybe safe. Or maybe being watched.
"Alright, I'll finish up quick."
He started back toward the last corpse.
Astra stood still, watching.
Her arms were at her sides, but her fingers twitched again.
She didn't like this part.
She didn't like watching him walk away.
And she didn't understand why.